Sick
by Harry Tomlinson
Summary: Sakura is very ill. Sasuke is the only one who can sustain her life.
1. Chapter 1

_She screamed in the darkness of night, warm liquid running down her side in a steady flow, her small, fragile hand attached to her hip. Her parents ran in as her cries continued, before she blacked out entirely, noises of pain slipping her mouth even while comatose. _

_They rushed their young daughter to the hospital, only to have her taken away by highly trained medical ninja and doctors. The corridors of the mostly empty hospital echoed with her screams of pain, hours and hours of screaming and endless cries._

_Then, she fell asleep. She slept through the day, and through the next night, and so on for 5 days. On the sixth day, she awoke, still slightly calmed from medication and lacking energy to move. He hip ached only slightly, yet she harbored no energy to move an inch._

Her parents were allowed to see her finally. A knock on the door, and a male voice asking for permission to enter, which she granted. In came 3 nurses, a doctor, and her parents. She was helped gently to sit up, leaning back into the pillows, lifted so she could sit up.

"Sakura, baby are you alright? What happened to her!?" Her father asked, the second question no where near as sweet.

"Um, this is very hard to tell you. Sakura is um. Her days are numbered." The doctor said. "We would've lost her last night, she got her in the nick of time."

"W-what do you mean, _her days are numbered?_ She's a child! Not even 4 years old!" Her mother exclaimed.

Sakura cringed in pain again, pulling herself into a tight ball and squeezing her eyes shut. Her hip felt as if it were being stabbed inside, from too many angles to count.

That's when a boy with blueish-blackish hair came running in, a curious look upon his round face.

"Is she okay?" He asked. "I thought the hospital was for sick people." He asked, walking up to her bed. "Do you feel yucky?" He asked. She whimpered.

"Excuse me, you're not supposed to be here little boy." A nurse said.

"Neither is she, shouldn't she be playing with dolls or something?" The boy asked. Obviously, he was not taking the hint to leave. Knowing from the fan on his back that his parents should arrive to pick him up soon, they continued with their conversation.

"Mr and Mrs Haruno, Sakura has a disease that proves fatal. I've only seen in once before, and doctors all over are struggling with the solution. It's such a rarity, that no ones been able to find a cure in time to heal the patient. I'd say, with regular appointments and if she does not partake in too many strenuous activity, she should consider herself lucky to make it to 14."

"Wait, she's gonna die?" The boy piped up, looking at the doctor. "She's too little. My grandma is here and she's old." The boy said. He climbed up onto the hospital bed and looked at Sakura in the eye.

"You, little girl, are too little to be bye-byed." He said. She jumped forward, collapsing on him. THe monitor she'd been hooked up to, that well, monitored her vitals, sped up at the contact.

Intrigued, the nurses and doctors stepped forward.

"What do you think?" One of the nurses asked. The doctor was hesitant, scanning what he saw on the machine. Her vitals jumped back to normal from their slow, low rate. And Sakura seemed to be as healthy as ever when she got near him.

"Sakura, would you mind if I tested something?" He asked. The young girl shook her head, having sat up. The boy's arms were wrapped around her, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"She seems healthy enough to me." He said, as another, older boy entered the room.

"Sasuke! What are you doing?" He exclaimed, running over to the boy.

"Nancy, Carol, it's getting crowded. Run the files on Mrs. Hanso and report them." The doctor sent two of the nurses out, before turning back.

"Nii-san! Sakura is sick." He said.

"Well she might be contagious! And don't you wanna see Nan?" The older boy asked.

"Yes, but she doesn't seem contagious." He said. "What does contagious mean?"

"It means you can get what she has by being near her!"

"Itachi! But she's better now!" He said.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to test. Sasuke, would you mind stepping outside for a minute?" Sasuke agreed, before putting Sakura off his lap and jumping off the bed.

After testing Sakura for 3 hours while Sasuke was gone she'd fallen back to yelping in pain, yet this time she begged for Sasuke to return to her. Before doctors allowed him to come close again, the nurse gave Sakura a needle, eerie blue-black liquid filling the vile. Having Sasuke return, he climbed onto the bed and took Sakura back into his lap, where her cries fell quiet again and she clung to him.

"Sasuke, can we see your arm please?" The nurse asked, poking him with a needle. He yelped, before giving her a dirty look.

"I'm not sick! Why'd I get a shot?" He grumbled, as his parents appeared in the doorway, with scolds for him to 'come here right now' and to 'just wait' till they got home. He didn't see them though, instead watched what the nurse did.

She took the vile from Sakura's needle and poured it into a cup, where, somewhat like fire, it danced and shook the cup, coming together sharply and then separating. After watching this happen for a minute, she slowly added the light blue substance she got from Sasuke. Everyone watched in awe as the darker color lightened a few shades, not as much as the light blue, and the two colors were swirling around, almost in a pattern, calm and relaxing.

"Wow Jodi, I've think you've cracked a big part of what's wrong with her." The doctor said. The families, both Haruno and Uchiha, were utterly confused as to what they were talking about.

"Jodi?" The doctor invited Sasuke's parents in, as Jodi began to speak.

"Sakura's charkra is attacking her, firstly is what's wrong with her. You could say it's infected, but that'd be putting it into terms too simple to be true. We're still not quite sure why her chakra is doing this, but it is. It's almost stale in a way. So, that's causing her to be in pain and this sick. The chakra attacks organs, slowly moving it's way around till it reaches the last few, which would be her vitals. Then we've seen, unfortunately, it attack the patients body all at once. Her's started at her appendix, so I'd guess her tonsils would come next. Sasuke's chakra however, seems to possess a calming nature that causes' her's to subside and not be so violent, hence why she's reacting so badly when we had him leave. He was taking away the pain, and furthering her life expectancy."

* * *

><p><em>And so from that day on, Sasuke and Sakura would spend hours together, growing closer and closer as friends, and her toughness towards the disease grew as well. The two did lots of things together, but favored only a few. Sakura watched musicals, and had even convinced Sasuke to sing them with her, and Sasuke got to practice his fighting skills and techniques for her. Day in and day out were filled with laughs and memories, bad days turning to good. <em>

_Then, they started at the Konoha Ninja Academy._

Sasuke walked in, saying hello to his instructor, Iruka. Kids were already beginning to fill the seats and he spotted two empty ones on the left side of the classroom, a few rows back. He walked to them, saying hello to a few students as he passed them, and ignoring the squeals of girls who thought he was hot. Sitting down, he unloaded his bag and put his supplies away, looking for someone interesting to talk to, when a blonde girl dropped down next to him.

"Hi! I'm Ino Yamanaka, mind if I sit here?" She chirped.

"My name's Sasuke, and I kind of do. Someone is already there." He said. "But I think that seat is free." He said, pointing out to the one above it.

"I don't see anyone's stuff here." Ino said.

"She's not here yet Ino." He said, before his eyes were covered with two small hands.

"Sasuke-kun save me I'm dying!" She joked, as Sasuke didn't move an inch.

"Poor Sakura. Six feet under at only 7 years old." Sasuke spoke, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"Sasuke I hate you, what if I were really dying?" Sakura said, intending to be a joke, before the realization crossed both their faces. _She was actually dying._

Sasuke pulled her to his lap, and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Ino, this is Sakura. Sakura, Ino. Ino, Sakura's going to sit there." He said.

"But I was here first!" Ino whined.

"But I have to!" Sakura retorted.

"First come, first serve sweetie!"

"Too bad Sasuke-kun saved me a seat!"

"Not allowed!"

"Well too bad! I'm sitting there!"

"I wanna sit next to Sasuke though!" Ino whined, as more girls joined in, all whining to sit next to Sasuke.

"Guys! Sakura has to sit next to me! It's for reasons!" Sasuke said. as most of the girls left and the remaining ones took seats around him. Once everyone was settled, Iruka began the class. After the morning lecture, telling them what they'd learn, what'd they'd be expected of, introductions and all that, they were freed to lunch. Sasuke walked with Sakura, as girls tried to strike up conversations with him. Some he carried for a few minutes and others he shot down right away.

"Sasuke I'll be back! Get me an extra muffin." Sakura chirped, walking away towards the bathroom. She locked herself in a stall and leaned against the wall, taking a few deep breaths. This morning had been rough, and one of her biggest fears was what would happen if people questioned her.

She didn't want to think about it. Wiping her eyes, not that she actually was crying, just a little shaken up by negative thoughts, she took one final deep breath and marched out to the Cafeteria and found Sasuke, who, had not gotten her an extra muffin.

"Uchiha-san, where is my muffin." She protested, dropping down next to him. A group of females watched their every move and listened to every word.

"Haruno-chan, I did not get you an extra muffin." He said matter-of-factly. "Because I did not want to."

"I hate you. What kind of muffin is it?"

"Chocolate chip." Sasuke said, biting an apple. The two continued to converse about the stupidest and randomest things, when Ino dropped in front of them again.

"So, are you two dating or something? Cause like, you're really young." She said. Sakura stopped speaking mid-sentence.

"No, we aren't! We're friends." She said. "And besides, I don't wanna date yet."

"But _Sakuraaaaaaaaaaaa_ I was about to ask you to be my girlfriend!" Sasuke whined, obviously joking.

"Hmm ask me again in 8 years!" She winked, before they both fell into fits of laughter. After their half-hour lunch period, they were all let into the courtyard for free time, to which Sasuke was followed by more and more girls.

"Sasuke, I'm gonna climb to the top of that tree, watch!" Sakura announced, running over to a large oak tree. Gripping it, she began to climb as Sasuke, and the females of her class, watched on.

"Be careful Sakura!" Sasuke shouted. She didn't look back, she'd fall. Instead she just focused on moving. _Hand, hand, foot, foot. _

"I will be Sasuke!" She called, as she made it to the first branch, sitting for a minute. She waved to the kids below, most of whom were playing with each other. About 15 people aside from Sasuke were watching her, and she recognized one of them as Ino. Standing, she reached up and grabbed onto the branch above her, as a sharp stabbing pain shot through her hip. She fell from the tree, trying not to scream.

Plummeting down, she closed her eyes and felt the sharp wind she was creating slice past her face, whipping her pink hair all over, and freezing her. As she fell, she tried to focus more on the cold air then the continuous stabbing sensation that was in her hip, and growing in her throat. _My tonsils! _She silently yelled. She knew they'd be attacked at one point, but they'd never been before now. Her hand reached up to grasp her throat, silently begging for the choking to go away.

Then, it did. Sasuke had her in his arms, having caught her from her drop. Sitting down beside her, she lay her head in his lap as he took her hand, and with his free hand held onto her hip. It was the right, and she could feel her negative chakra calming.

"Sakura, what happened? When did it hurt?" She shook her head, too scared to speak yet. "Sakura? Why aren't you talking?" He asked, wiping away a stray tear. She put her hand to her throat, and pretended to choke herself to tell him.

"It moved?" He asked, in shock. She nodded, but then shook her head. Sitting up, she pointed that it was in both her hip and her throat.

"Was it bothering you before? Even a little bit?" She shook her head. "Any build-up?" Again, she shook her head.

"Try making a sound. Say aaaaaaa." He said. "You're alright now, it wouldn't harm your speaking." He told her.

"Aaaahh…" She quietly said. When it didn't hurt, she felt comfortable enough to speak.

"It came on all of a sudden, and it hurt really badly. When I fell is when it moved to my throat. It felt like i was being choked by a flaming rope. Except on the inside." She said.

He stayed with her the rest of the day, always making sure to have at least on hand on her. Scared for her health, he went home with her that night.

He arrived home hours later.


	2. Chapter 2

Sasuke entered the Uchiha district, and walked to his home. As he stepped inside and removed his shoes, he could faintly hear, down the hall, his Nii-san and father arguing over something.

"_Itachi! You are a part of this family! Don't you have any respect?" _

_"I'm well aware of that! But if-"_

_"No buts. Now, I'm done speaking. Get out of my sight." _

Sasuke didn't move, instead he stood there, much like a lost puppy, and wondered what the males in his family were talking about.

"Sasuke! Where have you been?" His mother snapped at him, not seeming worried but more angry.

"Sorry Mother, Sakura got bad again. I was making sure she was okay." His mother pursed her lips. That girl was taking up all of his time and he was growing up way too fast. Hell, he was an 8 year old child. He should be playing outside, running around, being mischievous.

Yet here he was, taking care of a girl who shouldn't even be trying to get her headband.

It's not like she'd even put it to good use, she'd be dead before her 18th birthday anyway.

"Sasuke, I know Sakura is your friend, but why don't you make other friends?" Mikoto offered.

"Today was just the first day Mother. Besides, sensei said we'd have plenty of time to interact and work with our classmates."

"Well yes I know that part. But don't you ever want to play outside? Maybe with a friend who's a boy?"

"I do play outside. And I play with Nii-san a lot. He's a boy."

"I know that too, Sasuke. I'm saying, Itachi is getting more and more missions and you're going to start getting homework. There won't be as much time for you two to play, unless you end up on the same mission and have to work together. And wouldn't it be nice to have a friend your own age? Someone to make memories with and learn and go through new experiences?"

"Yeah, I agree Mom. But I've got lots of memories with Sakura. And I know I'll get more, and I'll make friends. Besides, isn't it better to know someone rather than no-one? Lots of people weren't talking today." He said, walking up the stairs. Mikoto sighed.

"I just don't want you to get to attached, Sasuke."

"Attached?" What do you mean?"

"To Sakura. You know full well she's not going to live very long. I don't want you to-"

Sasuke clenched the banister. "She will if I've got anything to say about it." And stormed to his room, slamming the door shut. After a few minutes, Itachi knocked on the door, asking his irritated little brother for entrance.

"Not if you're going to agree with Mother." Sasuke pouted. Itachi walked in anyway.

"I have food though." He said, setting a plate of refrigerated fried chicken down and opening two cans of dr pepper. He handed one of the cans to Sasuke.

"So. Why are you so mad at Mother? She only has your best interest at heart." Itachi began.

"If she only had my best interest then she wouldn't be yelling at me for being Sakura's friend."

"No, it's not that she's mad at you for being her friend. You've got to keep in mind, you're still a little kid. You're not even 8 years old, and you're really mature." Itachi told him.

"But isn't being mature a good thing?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, yes it's better than being an immature brat, but you're 7. Mother just wants you to enjoy your time as a kid, before you become a ninja and have to take on countless responsibilities. Plus, you know Sakura isn't going to live very long. The disease is still confusing to her doctors, but they do know your chakra can't stop it entirely."

"But I can stop it a lot!" Sasuke whined.

"Sasuke, the doctors don't think she'll make it past 18 years old. Mother, Father, and honestly me as well, we don't want to see you lose someone you care about. Especially so young. It's not right, Sasuke."

"But I can take care of her!"

"I know that Sasuke, and you do a great job making her feel better. Be proud of that. All I'm saying is that we're worried. What if something were to happen, she were to have an attack and you couldn't get there in time? Sasuke- she's on the brink of death at any point."

"W-what do you mean?" Sasuke asked, having to face the harsh reality.

"Sasuke, when you met her, that was the first time she'd had an attack. She was on life-support. She'd nearly died a few days earlier. We don't want you to get too close then lose her." Itachi said. Sasuke looked at the ground, blinking a few times.

"But she- she's going to be okay." Sasuke told himself. Itachi didn't say anything. He realized his baby brother had convinced himself over the years that his friend was fine, that there was nothing to worry about.

"I'll um, I'll call you for dinner Sasuke."

"I'm not coming." Sasuke said, handing his brother the uneaten chicken and half empty can. Itachi took them, and Sasuke lay on his side, trying to process this new, or well, sort of new, information.

The next day Sasuke hugged Sakura as soon as he saw her.

"Sasuke? What's wrong?" Sakura asked, pulling away.

"You're my friend. Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, not wanting to make the mood sad.

"Yeah I'm fine."

Their schooldays went by, Sakura's attacks occurring less and less often, and seemingly less and less severe. Until one day.

Sasuke had gone home the night before. His family, his loved ones, everyone he grew up to know and cherish. _**Dead.** _ You'd be fooling yourself if you thought it hadn't changed him.

The boy who once chatted and smiled throughout his day now sat in his seat, not uttering a word. His face told people he was not in the mood for anything they might want, and his eye held something darker than they used to.

Sakura walked in late the day after Sasuke's discovery. She went up and took her seat next to him, becoming aware of his coldness promptly.

"Sasuke…" She said. He ignored her. "What, what happened?" Again, he didn't speak. Instead, he wrote down notes for their final examination to graduate.

It wasn't until their gym period Sasuke acknowledged her. Sakura was being tested on her stamina, as she climbed a 25-foot rope attached to the ceiling.

3/4th of the way up, her side twinged and her throat burned. She felt warm liquid, blood, dripping. She looked down to her side, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. With her last bit of strength she yelled for Sasuke, before she collapsed, falling towards the ground.

Sasuke caught her, as he did every time she was not in a safe place and fell, and sat them down together.

He carried her over to one side of the gym and plopped down on the wall, before pulling her into a tight embrace. She felt his tears on her shirt, and heard his quiet gasps.

"Sasuke-kun." She said, her throat still on fire. He shushed her, his hand going over her hip. They stayed there for the duration of the gym class, not entirely because Sakura couldn't walk.

Sasuke didn't feel like he could move, either.

When the entire gym had been cleared, Sakura spoke again.

"What happened Sasuke? You're acting really weird today."

"H-he killed them. Just to see if he could." Sasuke choked on his words. He knew Sakura was confused, so he tried to continue. "Itachi. He, he killed my clan. All of them." Sasuke said, as more tears silently rolled down his face. "I want, no, I need revenge." Sakura stayed quiet, brushing his face from another tear.

"Sasuke that's, I'm…wow. I don't know what to say." She said, and instead hugged him.

"Don't leave me Sakura. Please." He begged, before the bell rang for their dismissal.

Sakura never mentioned the Uchiha clan to Sasuke again, never mentioned his parents, never mentioned Itachi, hell, she'd never enter the Uchiha district unless accompanied by him. Sasuke needed his space, time to mourn. He still valued their bond, she knew. He still cared about her and made sure she was alright. But to others, the other kids he chatted with. He cut them off completely. Over the months him and Ino had chatted more and more, him and the boys in his class. Especially this one kid, Kiba, he cut them all of completely.

Except for her. He thought she'd be the only one her could come close to understanding. She knew she could never understand what he must've felt. Yet she was there for him, as he'd been for her.

Sasuke spent extra time to make sure she was safe. She knew it was because he didn't want to lose anyone else he cared about, and she made sure she was totally honest about her condition. Sasuke would not leave her side unless she said she was feeling 100%, and then sometimes she'd have to tell him to leave.

Fear does that to a person. So does anger. She knew he was dealing with both.

* * *

><p><em>Team Seven<em>

Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and their sensei, Kakashi, were all out on a mission. Sakura was happy, she hadn't been burdened with an attack in 15 months. Sasuke was Sasuke, grouchy, moody, seemingly emo. And Naruto was Naruto. Loud, obnoxious, always picking a fight.

What a pack they were.

The four of them were to deliver a message to the Sand village. Kakashi presumed it was about the chunin examinations, as they were just around the corner. So the four had set out on the three day journey, and it'd only taken Naruto 16 hours of travel to start complaining.

"Kakashi-sensei how far is this place?" He whined, the hot sun burning all their faces.

"Naruto Lord Hokage already told us it's 3 days!" Sakura said. "We haven't even been gone that long."

"Actually Sakura, it's been over 10 hours. I say we set up camp." Kakashi said. "Naruto, Sakura, you set up the tents and start a fire. Sasuke and I will find some food. I think there's a river a ways back."

The four split ways.

"Sakura do you know how to pitch a tent?" Naruto asked, pulling the cloth and sticks out of a bag.

"No. But it can't be that hard, can it?" Sakura said. "Wait- which side is the top?" She said as they twisted and fumbled with the flat wrinkly tent.

Sasuke and Kakashi were quick to get some fish and return. Naruto and Sakura hadn't made any progress on the tents, or fire.

"Seriously guys? You can't pitch a tent? Why didn't you start the fire if you were having trouble!" Kakashi groaned, picking up the balled up green fabric.

"Because that would've made sense." Sasuke answered.

However, 10 minutes later they were all sitting around a campfire, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi joking about. Sasuke was being his usual moody self.

"Come on Sasuke! Lighten uppp…..!" Naruto shoved his friend on the side playfully.

"Hn."

"Don't you know Naruto? Sasuke's _always _been a buzzkill!" Sakura laughed. "His only redeeming social quality is he's a fucking amazing singer. Like. Should-be-on-stage-in-front-of-hundreds-and-thousands-of-people good."

"You sing Sasuke?" Kakashi asked what him and Naruto were thinking.

"No."

"Sakura-chan just said-"

"She said I _could _sing. Not that I _do _sing." He pointed out. He'd have to make Sakura pay for telling them that. Singing was not something he did. She knew he only did it for her, when she was having a bad attack.

"Sing something!" Naruto exclaimed.

"How about no." Sasuke said.

"I'd like to hear it Sasuke." Kakashi said.

"Still no." _Please don't ask Sakura. Don't make me say no._

"Please Sasuke-kun! You know it's amazing!" Sakura whined.

"Does no mean anything to you people?"

The 3 shared a collective _ugh _before somewhat letting him off the hook. They did however, question him about this 'hobby'.

"What kinds of things do you sing?" Naruto asked.

"I don't sing."

"Sasukeeeeeeeeee. I know you do."

"When have you heard me ever sing?"

"Well, I haven't, but-"

"No buts. I don't sing."

"Sasuke why would Sakura lie about you singing? Isn't it a random thing to lie about?" Kakashi pointed out.

"Well, yes. But she's Sakura."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sakura snapped. "I will make you sing Uchiha. Just watch me." She threatened.

"Nah." Sasuke said.

"Why won't you? Answer that." Naruto said.

"Because I don't want to. And even if I did, I don't have anything to actually, you know, sing."

Yet another collective _ugh. _Sasuke got up and walked to his tent.

"Wake me up when we have to leave."


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of squad seven sighed at Sasuke, yet left him to go. The three decided soon after to turn in for the night, as they'd need to wake up early the next morning. Sakura crawled into her tent, and flicked out the candle that lit the small space. Darkness quickly enveloped her, and she cozied down into her sleeping bag.

Sasuke lay flat on his back, one leg propped up, arms bent behind his head, deep in thought. He was worried. And irritated Sakura told them about the whole singing thing. He'd let it slide though, only because he had the sneaking suspicion she'd have an attack soon.

Hey, it had been over a year since her last one. It was long since due to make a return. Sasuke shifted in his sleeping bag, lost in thought. Sleep was not coming easily to him. _How can I get stronger?_ He wondered. He had to get his revenge. It was one of his main priorities. That and keeping Sakura safe. Well, that was second nature to him. He could see an attack come on before she had time to say anything.

Sasuke shut his eyes. He would need to be well-rested for the trek tomorrow.

However, well-rested was not what he got.

His mind filled with nightmares, Itachi using Sakura's illness to kill her, Itachi killing him, Sakura dying right in his arms, him being _powerless to do anything._

He woke up in cold sweats, shaking and having trouble breathing. It was still dark out. He slipped out of his tent, and walked the 5 feet to Sakura's, peeking in.

She was curled up in a ball, sound asleep. Her usual pale face was a dusted with a light blush, he presumed it was from her dream.

"Are you okay?" He breathed, not even sure himself if the words made it past his lips. He pressed them together. Hard and chapped, like usual. Keeping an eye on her to make certain she was alright, his hand went to his mouth, rubbing his finger across his lower lip. A habit he'd had since he was little, he dropped his hand when his mouth felt smoother.

He felt a presence behind him. He jumped, then turned around ready to fight.

It was only Kakashi. He'd dropped from a tree above.

"Is there any reason you are creeping on your female teammate Sasuke?" He asked. "Because, I would be happy to explain to you-"

"No it has nothing to do with that Kakashi!" He snapped, glaring.

"Hmm? Then explain the lips, Sasuke." He said. Sasuke glared harder, if that were even possible.

"It is a habit." He said slowly, through gritted teeth.

"Ok." Kakashi said, knowing not to press. "So, why are you creeping on her again?"

"It's too long a story for this late at night." Sasuke said, walking back to his tent. Sakura was fine, Kakashi was irritating, and he needed sleep. The next morning came too quickly for the boy, as it felt as soon as he closed his eyes, water was being thrown on him by his all-too-cheerful teammates.

"Uppity-up-up time, Teme!" Naruto said, his face bright and grin huge. Sakura stood behind him, crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out.

"Wake up Dork!" She chirped, dragging Naruto out of the tent. She walked over to Kakashi, wishing him a good morning. Sasuke groaned, and sat himself up.

"Sasuke, you look like crap." Naruto said. "Didn't you sleep?"

"I slept fine." He lied. His eyelids were heavy and all his muscles felt as if they were made of iron. He took a deep breath. "Just not a morning person."

"As if that weren't obvious enough." Sasuke shot Naruto daggers. Naruto yelped at the glare, leaving his tent. He resisted the urge to fall to his back, and forced himself out of the tent.

"Whoa, Naruto was right. You do look crappy." Sakura commented, packing her tent into a bag.

"I haven't been up 3 minutes, can everyone shut the fuck up? Thanks." Sasuke said, kicking his tent down. Yes, kicking. With his foot.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed…" Naruto muttered, not towards anything.

"You wanna be able to wake up again?" Sasuke threatened. Naruto didn't say anything. "Good."

The foursome began the walk towards the sand, jumping from tree branch to tree branch. After a few hours of quiet, Sakura spoke up.

"Why don't we just walk? Like, what if you fall?" Sakura asked.

"Well, then hopefully your teammate would catch you. And, it's quicker than walking. And running wears out your stamina faster." Kakashi answered."Along with a bunch of other pros I can't be bothered to get into."

"Oh, ok that makes sen-nyeeaahhh!" She said, falling. She clutched her side, landing on her knees before falling to her side. Sasuke dropped down in an instant.

"Sakura!" He said, picking her up. She squeezed her eyes shut, crinkling her nose in the process. She mouthed his name, he knew she couldn't speak. He sat her down against a tree, and rested his hand on her abdomen. Naruto and Kakashi came down seconds after Sasuke.

"Teme! What's going on? Sakura-chan? Sasuke what did you do!" Naruto went on and on, asking questions about this and that. Sakura shook, unable to stop.

"Does it hurt anywhere else?" Sasuke asked, not paying attention to the boy demanding answers. She shook her head, and wrapped her arms around herself, mouthing 'cold'.

"You're cold?" She nodded. He took her bag from her, and took out her fleece coat. Her eyes light up and the sight of it, leaning forward as much as she could to allow him to wrap it around her. Once done, she collapsed against the bark again.

"Sasuke! Answer me!"

"Shut up Naruto, I'm focusing." Sasuke said. He then looked at her, pursing his lips. "Um. Why didn't you say anything before you fell?" Sakura smiled awkwardly, gritting her teeth.

"Um." She softly spoke, still nervous to use her voice. "The mission." She said. "Stalling."

Sasuke let his head fall back in irritation.

"So, instead of saying your hip hurt you decided to move and do shit so you wouldn't postpone the mission." Sasuke groaned, raising an eyebrow at her. She nodded, smiling.

"You fucking idiot, it would've been a lot faster if you'd said something earlier!" Sakura kicked him in the side. "Ow. Stop that." She stuck out her tongue, before sitting up.

"Are you alright now?" Sasuke asked, seeing her move. She shook her hand. "Throat hurts."

"Where?" She got up, Sasuke following. She gestured to the side of her throat, where her glands were. Sasuke brushed his thumb over the area, concentrating his chakra. Sakura sighed, then smiled.

"Ok I'm good." Sasuke smacked himself in the forehead.

"You are a piece of work, Sakura."

"Hey, at least I didn't start bleeding!"

"I may have had to leave you." They both laughed, Kakashi and Naruto looking at them like they were crazy.

"You'd never leave me!" She exclaimed. Sasuke rolled her eyes at her.

"So, care to explain what's going on here..?" Kakashi inquired.

"Hmm, long story. I'll explain while we're walking." She said, getting up. The foursome walked along, as Naruto again asked what was up with them.

"Oh, well, y'see when I was really little, I think I was like 5-"

"Sakura you were like 2 and you couldn't or wouldn't even talk yet are you going to tell this story properly or not?" Sasuke interrupted. Sakura glared.

"Okay, mister 'I-know-everything'. I was 3, and it was super late at night and then my side started to hurt like really badly so I went to the hospital and I was bleeding a lot and the doctors said I wasn't gonna live and my parents were freaking out and then I was on this weird life support thingy. Then Sasuke, like the intrusive, boundary-less little shit that he is-"

"I'm going to remember that." Sasuke interrupted.

"Interrupting little shit that he is," She corrected herself. "Came in and was all what's wrong with her and then the doctors were all like get out small child and he didn't and he got onto the bed and then they discovered Sasuke's chakra chill's mine out and yeah so that's what was happening." She said.

_Does she not know about the life thing? _Sasuke wondered. He wouldn't mention it.

"You forgot to mention that you're Chakra tends to lose it's shit every now and again." Sasuke said. Sakura rolled her eyes, as they approached the gate.

"Anyway, that led to a lot of time spent together. Like, a lot-a lot." Sakura said.

"And most of that time she made me do girly-shit because 'Sasuke-kun I'm sick and you're supposed to be taking care of me blah-blah-blah' Sasuke mocked. Sakura glared.

"Whoa, Sakura are you gonna be okay?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah I'll be fine! Don't worry about it, as long as Sasuke's here I'm fine!" She said as they reached their destination. Their mission was a success and they headed back, Sakura and Naruto chatting idly whilst Sasuke stayed quiet for the 3 days it took.


	4. Chapter 4

A few more months passed without anything of interest happening, there was peace in Konoha, and every now and again a squad would be sent out on a simple mission, usually to get the experience. Everyone thrived and was happy.

"Hey, Sakura!" Ino called for her best friend one day. Sakura sat underneath a tree, leaves in full bloom, watching the clouds roll by. It was quite relaxing.

"Ino? Hey what's up?" Sakura said, looking to her friend, who came and yanked her up off her butt. She laughed and shoved her, giving her a look as to ask 'Why'd u do that?'

"We haven't spent like, _any_ time together in like 65 _gajillion-million_ years! Let's go to the shopping district!" She said. "My dad gave me a raise from the flower shop and I know you've been saving up from missions!" She said, clearly excited. Sakura giggled at her giddiness, and agreed to go. They didn't have much time to just do normal girly stuff, so they snatched the chance anytime they could.

The two entered the shopping district, which, as usual, was abuzz with Mother's and young children. The two girls walked into a shop that sold shoes, each of them going and finding a few pairs they thought were cute.

_"_What do you think of these?" Ino asked, trying on a pair of black pumps, about 4-6 inches high.

"Sexy and daring." Sakura replied, before Ino put them aside with their stuff, to remember to buy them. Ino bought the pumps and Sakura bought a pair of white flats, before the two left to another store.

"Do you think this top is cute?" Ino asked, holding up a red tee with a scoop neck. It was simple, yet on the fancier side with three quarter sleeves and a little bit of that scrunched style around the neck.

"Okay miss Yamanka, what is your deal?" Sakura asked, taking the shirt from her. "Why are you buying fancy shoes and shirts?"

"Um…" She said, looking down. A light blush adorned her face as she looked up underneath her eyelashes.

"Kiba…sorta…asked me out…." She said, biting her lip. Sakura squealed, yet tried to keep it quiet. Then confusion crossed her face.

"Wait, since when do you like Ki-" Ino's hand flew over her mouth.

"No names in public!"

"Since when do you like him?" She asked. "I thought you liked…"

"Yeah, well, I mean, I've been going on a bunch of missions with him recently. And he's really funny, and he's a good ninja, and he's cute and charming and…" Ino said, beginning to bable.

"Whoa there, okay, okay! I get it. So we're date shopping? What kind of date is it?"

"Hmm, I think he said something about dinner and then dancing." Ino said. "So I wanna dress up, but no too much." Sakura nodded.

"Well then this shirt is too flowy, but I like red on you. Here, try this." She said, handing her basically the same top only without the flow or scrunched bits. It was fitted, and showed off her slender body and arms well.

"Yay! Sakura you're the best, now what about pants?"

"Hmm. I'm thinking flare jeans." Sakura said. The two went into a third shop after purchasing the top, and ended up finding a black skirt and tights, deciding on that instead. The skirt came down to just above Ino's knee, and had a flowery-flare to it.

Sakura demanded to know every detail of Ino's date as soon as she entered her house and was alone.

Ino obliged.

The next day Sakura found herself strolling along downtown, and through the park. She watched little kids play with each other and even saw an old couple celebrate their anniversary. She smiled at the man, who held a ring for the woman. She didn't quite understand what was going on, but the joy on the woman's face seemed to be a good sign. She knew that the chunin exams were approaching, so she'd divide her time between resting her body and training it.

One thing she did not want was to be worn out due to over exertion of her body. She knew her limits and how and when to push them, and she wasn't one to cry at a little pain.

With the examination 5 days away, the 3 members of her squad decided it would be best if they upped their group training. They had no clue what was to come, they intended on preparing for anything.

The first examination went well, Sakura stunned by how hard it was. Truly, she wasn't sure how the question worked or how she managed to pass. She'd ask Sasuke to re-explain it later on.

However, the next parr was not so confusing.

Go into the forrest.

Get the 2 scrolls, and hold onto them.

Go to the tower in the center of the forrest.

Don't die.

The last part sent shivers up her spine. She sure as hell didn't want to die, but she wasn't that strong a fighter. Everyone around was either worse, as good as, or better, than her Naruto and Sasuke.

* * *

><p>Sasuke paid bored attention to Anko Mitarashi give the instructions for the next exam. He was itching to get into it already, and when the gates finally opened he leaped, along with all the other chunin-to-be, and raced head first into the forrest,<br>Naruto and Sakura not far behind.


	5. Chapter 5

Sasuke surveyed the area as the 3 of them slowed to a walk. They had 5 days in here, it'd be best to keep safe.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, shoving him to the side. Sasuke glared at him, asking why he did that.

"There was a fucking snake on the ground!" Naruto yelled. "I thought you were supped to be the observant one! Magical eyes and everything!" Sasuke snapped back at him, and before Sakura's ears could process what was being said the two were in a full blown argument.

"Guys, can you ple-guys, c'mon, they might…**guys shut the hell up they'll kill us.**" Sakura eventually said, yanking both their sleeves to lower them to the ground, flattened out. Her two teammates looked at her confused, before looking up.

In the treetops was a squad from the cloud village, and they did not look like they wanted to play. Sasuke scanned the ground around them, before spotting a spider. He grabbed it, holding it by one leg.

"Substition. Follow my lead." He said, taking out a shrunken. He threw it up, hitting the tree where one of the cloud ninja was standing, giving away their location. The spider's nest was close, Naruto seeing more and more of them crawling out. Soon the three felt delicate little legs crawl up their arms, legs, anywhere. Sasuke dropped the spider as the cloud ninja came inches from them, before nodding to Sakura and Naruto.

They substituted with the cloud, leaving them to deal with the thousand poisonous tarantulas. They stood in a treetop, the safest place they could find.

Sakura shivered, still being able to feel the spiders crawl all over her.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, putting his hand on her upper arm. She nodded, shaking off the sensation.

"Just a little grossed out.." She admitted, before the 3 continued on. Sasuke nodded, double checking her honesty, before they followed Naruto onward.

"Which scroll do we have, anyway?" Naruto asked, looking at Sasuke. The three came to a stop near a stream, and Sasuke reached into his back pocket to find out what scroll he'd been given.

"Heaven. We need the Earth Scroll." He said, putting it back. The sun was setting, they hadn't seen anyone aside from the cloud that day. Four days left.

"I'll get some firewood, Naruto you should get some fish." Sakura said.

"I'll set up some traps in case anyone decides to go for a late night stroll…" Sasuke added, as the 3 went along to do their business.

Sasuke walked along memorizing his surroundings. He tied intricate knots and set up trip wires, making sure they were secure enough to catch if someone tripped them, but tight enough to hold steady. Once he'd put about 5 various traps around, he began walking back. His stomach aching for food. Naruto better have caught something.

He heard a bloodcurdling scream.

"_Sasuke!" _Sakura. He whipped around and sprinted towards her yelling, his heart pounding. He found her quickly, going up against some leaf shinobi. He didn't recognize them, they must not've passed last year.

Sakura was dropped to her knees, knocked up badly. Blood tricked down her arm, face and legs and she shook.

"Get out of here!" Sasuke snapped, running to Sakura. "Now!"

"Give us the scroll first, brat!" One of them said. He wore and eyepatch and had a scar down his cheek. Tough missions.

"I don't have it, now get lost!"

"Oh yeah?" Pinky said you did have it."

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, appalled.

"Fork it over, loverboy!" Another vicious genin growled.

"Which scroll do you need." He said, looking down to inspect her wounds.

"Heh, Earth."

"Too bad, we have Heaven. Don't believe me? Look." He said, taking out the scroll. The boys scoffed, before turning away. Sasuke lifted her up, before getting back to the campsite.

Sakura clung to his shirt, her vision blurred and black around the edges, she was sweaty and shaking, everything hurt.

Her disease however, did not. She'd completely forgotten about it.

Soon enough they returned, Naruto having set up everything. He gasped when he saw the condition she was in, and was quick to help set her down. He got food for her, offering a bite.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked, after a few minutes of eating.

"I was getting firewood…they jumped me. I-I tried to fight back." Sakura said, looking down. "I'm not as strong as you guys are. I'm not strong enough." Naruto and Sasuke remained silent. She wasn't strong enough to protect herself, they weren't going to lie and say she was. It could put her life at risk.

After the fire was stomped out the 3 of them went to sleep. Sasuke took first watch. An hour after Naruto had fallen asleep, Sakura climbed the tree he was sitting in.

"Hey." She said, looking at the scenery. She swung her feet like a little girl would.

"What are you doing up?"

"I can't sleep, thought I'd take over for you." She offered.

"You're too hurt. Besides, I can't sleep either." She looked at him, curiosity dusting her pale face.

"You're swinging your feet." He commented. "You always do that." A small smile was on his lips, he was content.

"Because it's comfier than staying still." She answered the unasked question. "Hey, remember that time I dared you to jump off my roof?"

"And broke my ankle doing it? How could I forget! My parents-" His demeanor was quick to change from happy to sulking, She looked down.

"I, I'm sorry, Sasuke." She said. She didn't mean to bring back bad memories, she was just reminiscing. He knew that. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back to his chest, his back to the tree trunk.

He rested his head on her shoulder.

"Just don't you leave me, okay?" He asked, looking up at her. His eyes were full of emotion. She softly smiled at him.

"I won't."


	6. Chapter 6

The next day went without anything of interest, they succeeded in staying away from people who would probably kill them in a heartbeat- those sand shinobi looked dangerous- yet they still didn't have their scroll. As late afternoon rolled around, Sakura's male teammates grew more and more impatient by the minute.

"Ughh, I say we get the damned scroll already and head to the tower! They probably have a feast prepared for those of us who make it!" Naruto said, his mouth beginning to water uncontrollably.

"I agree about the scroll, but Naruto don't be an idiot. The tower probably leads us to our third examination." Sasuke said, thinking logically. What else was knew, though. Sakura walked gingerly behind the two, paying close attention to her surroundings. She sensed no danger, which, in the forrest of death, was dangerous in itself.

"I'll be back in a minute, I gotta take a leak!" Naruto chirped, running back through a few trees. Sakura groaned. If there was one thing she did not want to think about, it was Naruto peeing.

"Tch.." Sasuke muttered. Clearly, he was in no mood to think about it either. Sakura watched him from behind, his bored slouching posture, hand on his hip, head relaxed to the side. He truly looked bored.

"So, a forrest filled with deadly creatures and people aren't enough to make _the _Sasuke Uchiha-chan entertained?" Sakura jokingly asked, walking up to his side. He gave her a shove.

"Sasuke Uchiha-chan is bored." He said, giving her a slight smile. "Although, if you ever call me -chan again.." He began. She waved him away, as if to say _fine fine, I won't call you that again._

"Sasuke.." The two heard a hiss from behind, and whipped around. Before them stood a grass ninja. They could tell immediately that he was no genin. Sasuke swallowed hard.

"It is power you crave, yes?" The mysterious man asked. Sasuke didn't answer. He wouldn't give this person any information. He had to pass the chunin examinations.

"W-" Sakura began to ask a question, before Sasuke signaled for her to stop.

"We don't want his scroll, Sakura." He said. His voice was steady, a complete opposite of how he felt inside. _This guy, he isn't a joke..we have to get out of here.._ He silently thought, gritting his teeth.

"Well, it appears I won't be getting an answer from you. Oh well. I'll tell you this, however Sasuke-boy. In 3 weeks time, if Itachi's death is still what you hunger for, come to the Eastern gates. Alone. Ta for now." He said, and vanished in a poof of black smoke, after knocking Sakura out with a blow neither of them saw coming.

Sasuke fell to Sakura's side, not even aware of his feet's movement. Her head didn't hit the ground as she was scooped up from the ground in his arms. He sighed, this was not good.

"Sakura…wake up…" Naruto whined at the unconscious girl 2 hours later. The 2 boys wonder silently how hard she was struck, before noticing a few tears stream down her face silently.

"I can't do it." She softly cried. Sasuke and Naruto gave her a look of confusion, completely confused as to what she was talking about. She couldn't see, her eyes remained closed.

"Sakura-chan! What are you on about?" Naruto asked. She opened her eyes to look at her two teammates.

"I'm going to die here, you're better off leaving me already. I'm not strong enough, I'm just holding you two back." She said, voice cracking.

"What the hell Sakura?! That's complete bullshit! You're strong! I'll make you keep going!" Naruto said, pulling her to her feet. She stumbled a bit, before regaining her balance.

"But I always get in the-"

"You're not giving up! I won't let you!" Naruto announced, before Sakura finally dropped the subject. They continued onward, luckily finding and defeating a weak squad with the scroll they needed.

Night came again, and once again Sakura found herself unable to sleep. So she leaned up against a tree and gazed at the stars.

"You know he's right." Sasuke said, sitting next to her. He seemed to have shown up out of no where.

"What?" She asked, confusion draped across her face.

"Naruto. About you being strong." He clarified.

"Heh, yeah. Tell that to all the baddies I've beaten." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yeah, yeah we know you can't throw a punch okay?" Sasuke said. "But hello, remember your chakra? Sakura- I don't think you realize this. You should have _died_ that first night. But you didn't, because you are _strong._" He said, slowly in case she missed anything.

"Please, you were right-"

"I wasn't there until your 6th day at the hospital. You were unconscious in critical condition for 5 days." He said, looking at her.

"W-what?" She looked at him, as if this was the first time she was hearing this information.

Sasuke took a deep breath. It was time to face the harsh truth.

"Sakura. Your literally, on the verge of dying at all times." He forced the words out. "My chakra-"

"But your chakra helps! It heals mine!" Sakura protested, getting riled up. Sasuke put his arms around her, pulling her into him.

"Sakura that's only a temporary fix..the doctor said you'd be lucky to make it to 16…They were skeptical about letting you become a ninja in the first place. That's part of the reason we were put on the same team." He said, resting his forehead on her shoulder. She felt his tears on her shirt.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura.." He said, trembling.

"I…I don't understand.." She said, in shock.

"Sakura…you're dying." He said.

She swallowed, the lump in her throat staying put. She was…_dying_. And there wasn't anything anyone could do.

"Stay with me." She begged, her voice almost inaudible.

"I will." He breathed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN Hi so what do you guys think of this story? R&R please :)**_

_**And to answer a question, at this point in the manga/anime, Sakura was pretty weak and useless. However, no I do not plan on keeping her like this. And about Sasuke being **_**_ooc…yeah I know I'm trying to keep him as in character as possible. Yes the massacre did happen, (duh) but at the same time, he still had Sakura so instead of being alone he…wasn't._**

**_Except now they both know their time together is limited._**

**_Cue dramatic music._**

**_Um, yeah so that's it! If you're confused about anything or have suggestions or just wanna chat feel free to PM me3 Love you guys thanks for the support._**


	7. Chapter 7

"GOOD MORNING TEME AND SAKU-Huh?" Naruto began to say, cheerfully as he awoke early the next day. They planned on heading for the tower today. Hell, they didn't want to lose track of their days and lose by being a day late.

"Sakura? Sasuke?" Naruto asked, walking over to them. They'd fallen asleep eventually, Sakura's face was streaked with tears still. Naruto concluded she must've been crying in her sleep, before looking over to Sasuke, which, actually was about 5 inches up from the top of Sakura's head. His eyes were open, but he was asleep. _Fucking weirdo_ Naruto thought, taking his inspection closer. Sasuke was definitely asleep. Just..with his eyes open. They were glossed over and unfocused, something Naruto thought he'd never see in those eyes.

"HEY GUYS. WAKE UP." He shouted, yanking them apart. Why were they _cuddling?_ "What is going on with you two?" He demanded.

Sasuke snapped from his trance-like sleep.

"W-what? Oh, it's morning." Sakura groaned and sat up, attempting to wipe her face of the sticky sensation. She sighed and yawned, before stretching to her feet. They made it to the tower with plenty of time to spare.

None of squad seven made it to the final round of the chunin exam, so they were all disappointed.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe we failed, dammit!" Naruto groaned, throwing a rock at a nearby tree.<p>

"Tell me about it. At least we can try again next year." Sasuke added, turning to walk back to his dreary home. Sakura stayed wordless, walking to her own house before it got too dark. The realization of her limited days made it hard for her to focus on anything relaxing she tried to do. She was petrified of not waking up in the morning.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Teme?" Naruto asked as the two boys were the only ones left on the streets. Sasuke looked at him. "So, what's the deal with you and Sakura-chan? I mean, is it still that weird chakra thingy? Or whatever?"<p>

Sasuke sighed. No point in keeping him in the dark.

"It's a long story, but here's what happened. A while ago, I guess she was about 2 or 3, something weird happened to her chakra and it started attacking her from the inside. It's a rare illness that's only happened to about 3 people before, with no cure. Her charka slowly works its way through her organs, starting from the non-vital ones."

"So, that would explain her side." Naruto said as they continued their walk.

"Her appendix. And yeah, it would. Over time it's going to make it's way to more important organs, but as far as I know it's only gotten to her appendix and tonsils. Who knows how lucky we'll be about that though."

"About it not spreading? And what do you have to do with all this?"

"Yeah, exactly. My gut tells me it's going to strike again soon, and badly. Anyway, about me having to do with it. Oddly enough my chakra is very calm, and when it gets near her's it…somehow, I'm not sure how, it calms her chakra and stops it from attacking her body."

"Wait I still don't understand…why is she saying she'll die. If you're here…then." Sasuke inturppted him.

"I'm here yeah, but my chakra can't stop it from spreading, or from happening again. It's only a temporary fix, and this is fatal. So, I can postpone it but we don't know for how long. Her doctors don't think much longer."

The color drained from Naruto's usually bright face. "S-so she's gonna die? No, she can't die! How long did the doctors say?" He demanded.

"She'll be lucky to make it to 16. The doctors were being generous." Sasuke stopped at looked down. The thought of not having Sakura around made him physically sick.

"That's only 4 years!" Naruto shouted.

"You think I don't know that?! Tch, I've spent my entire fucking life making sure she's safe Naruto!" He snapped. "And now she's going to die soon!"

Naruto sighed. "I wish there was something else we could do." Sasuke let his eyes wander before responding.

"Doctors are looking for a cure." The two went their separate ways.

* * *

><p>Sasuke couldn't sleep that night. Hell, he couldn't even get tired. He spent his night pacing the dark empty house that was once buzzing with a happy family.<p>

A father who only wanted the best for his sons

A mother who took good care of her family

A brother who..well, he acted like a good brother. Encouraging him, challenging him. Helping him get stronger.

Maybe going to this Orochimaru guy wasn't a bad idea…_no Sasuke you idiot, what about Sakura?_

_Well, you could take her with you. Win-Win, right?_

_But she'll never want to leave Konoha.._

_Although she knows more than anyone how much I need to get stronger. _

_But I can't make her leave her family so I get can revenge on my own._

Needless to say, it ended up being a long night for him. The next morning, at around 7:02 he received a text message from a mysterious number.

**Uknown.**

**Hello Sasuke. I know you want revenge on Itachi, and I can grant you the power to make it so, ****guaranteed. All you have to do is come meet him at Tenchi Bridge in 4 days time.**

**Oh, and don't worry about your little Sakura. I've got everything under control.**

**Sasuke  
><strong>

**Who the fuck is this? And how do you have everything with her under control? And how did you get my number?**

**Uknown**

**You want answers? Come to Tenchi bridge. Alone. In 4 days. Ta for now, Sasuke-boy.**

The number became disconnected next time Sasuke tried to text him back. He looked around, maybe this was some sick genjutsu he was under. He activated his sharingan. Nope, no genjutsu.

The next thing he knew he was waking up in his bed in cold sweats. The clock read 4:52. Confused, he checked his phone. The messages were gone. He could've sworn they were real though.

Sighing, he decided to get up and clean himself up before heading to the training field. When it was a reasonable hour he'd text Sakura to see how she is, and then later he'd ask Naruto if he wanted to spar.

Anything to get those damned messages out of his head.

* * *

><p><strong>HOLY SHIT GUYS.<strong>

**AN**

**UPDATE?!**

**YEAH IK IK IK LOL I SUCK AT UPDATING. I'M SORRRYYYYYY. I REALLY AM BUT I WAS HAVING WRITERS BLOCK AND IT IS A BITCH AND KILL IT WITH FIRE. UM, ANWAY NOW I'M BACK ON A ROLL AND I MIGHT BE WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER RN BUT IDK YET SO YEAH. I KNOW THIS IS SHORT BUT I REALLY REALLYY REALLY WANTED TO GET THIS UP I PROMISE THE NEXT ONE WILL BE LONGER! AND IF YOU'RE WONDERING, THE MESSAGES WILL BE EXPLAINED TOO. (OR AT LEAST PARTIALLY) **

**OKAY GUYS I LOVE YOU LOTS AND LOTS DON'T FORGET TO R&R PLEASE!**

**LOVE: ME**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys What's up yo yo yo so basically this chapter's gonna be longer I promiseeee.**

**I just got back from camp like a week ago. AND I HAD MY FIRST KISS. AND STUFF. I CAN NOT EVEN RN.**

**What are ya'll doing this summer?**

* * *

><p>The next night Sasuke fell asleep quickly, his body tired from the day's strenuous activities. It'd been a while since he'd pushed himself that hard, and his body wasn't quite thrilled with being put back into such conditions. Nevertheless, he knew it would be smart in the long run.<p>

And he fell asleep fast. It was very similar to the night before, random messages appearing on his phone from an unknown number. They promised him power, and Sakura's safety, and extended his time to 3 weeks. He woke in cold sweats at 2 in the morning, and grabbed his phone.

No messages. He strained to try and remember the unknown number from his dream, but it was all fuzzy at this point.

He secretly wished there was someone he could talk to about these weird dreams, but he knew he'd have to think this through himself.

He looked at the facts. Sakura had another doctors appointment in the morning. Hopefully all would go well. His training however, was not going well. He was pushing and pushing himself and seeing little results, and although it could be called selfish, he wanted his revenge as soon as he could.

He _needed_ closure.

And so he'd decided. He would see how Sakura's appointment went, and go speak with the people at the bridge. Nothing more than a chat.

He convinced himself of that.

* * *

><p>The next morning Sakura strolled down the street humming merrily along to a song she'd overplayed all through the night and somehow was not sick of, as she was blasting in through her earbuds into her slightly oversized head.<p>

'Lalalala…' She sang, entering the hospital and pausing her music. She waltzed up to the elevator and tapped the 'up' button, waiting for the oh-so familiar ding to tell her that her ride was here. Once it came, she stepped in the tiny space and pressed number 4, and looked at her reflection as she rode up.

She wasn't wearing anything unusual today, and she felt particularly happy. Her usually pale face had a rosy glow and her eyes were twinkling and bright.

Once the elevator doors opened she stepped out and walked down 2 hallways before stopping at a door, on the right, and stepping inside. Here she would wait for an assistant to call her name and check her vitals, before she could see the doctor.

She twiddled her thumbs and played on her phone, before trying to text her friends to see if they wanted to hang out.

Then she remembered they were all in training and probably couldn't answer their phones, so she went back to wasting time by playing games.

"Haruno Sakura." A male voice called. She got up and followed him to a room, where she was told to remove her shoes and sit down.

"How are you today, Sakura?" The man asked.

"I'm well, how are you?" She answered as he wrapped something around her arm. She never knew what this thing was called, but she knew it took her blood pressure.

"Good, good. Long weekend." He said.

"Really? Anything exciting?" She asked as he squeezed the-whatever it was called, she had no clue- to tighten the wrap around her arm. She took deep breaths not to tense her arm.

"My son got married on Saturday."

"Oh that's wonderful! Congratulations!" Sakura beamed. She always loved hearing good news in other people's lives. Or bad news, she just liked to know what was going on with the people she surrounded herself with.

"Thank you. Step on the scale, please." He smiled as she stepped onto the scale.

"106 pounds, that's definitely on the light side, miss Haruno. Are you eating regularly?"

"Yes absolutely."

"Are you getting enough calories?"

"I think so….how many am I supposed to be eating?"

"Between 1200 and 2000."

"Hmm, well I'm probably eating more than that."

"Well, the doctor will be able to help you with that. Stand by the wall." She followed his instruction and stood by the wall, where she could be measured for height.

'5 feet. Okay, Sakura that food thing is going to cause problems if we don't fix it, okay?"

"Okay, thank you!" She said, as they went their separate ways.

* * *

><p>Sasuke ran into Sakura 50 minutes later walking out of the hospital. She was shaky, and close to tears.<p>

"Sakura? What's wrong?" He asked, grabbing her by the arms.

"I'm too thin, and if I don't get more calories in me they're gonna take away my headband. Apparently it's not safe to be doing what I am when my weight is so proportionately wrong, and my blood is only heightening the chance of an accident." She stared past him, as if she were reciting things she'd heard.

"You're gonna stay a ninja." He said hugging her. "Do you want to go grab some lunch then?" He said, looking down at her.

"No thanks, I've lost my appetite."

"Sakura!"

"Oh! Duh, sorry, just a little tired. Yes, lunch is good." she said, correcting herself. Sasuke and her walked downtown to the noodle house, ordering more than enough food for two people.

"How did the doctor say you were doing besides that though?" Sasuke asked.

"Besides that? He said I'm doing great, everything checked out well this time and I don't have to go back for a while. Unless of course, something were to happen."

Sasuke looked pleased. A small part of him because that meant he could go check out what his dreams meant, another part because she seemed healthy.

The two parted ways after an insisted hug by Sakura, and he then decided to be on his way.

The sooner, the better. Plus he knew a way out of the village that whoever was monitoring the gates couldn't see, over a few treetops and roofs.

Once safely on the outside, he began the trek to Tenchi bridge, doubling his pace to get there quicker. He had no clue where it was, or how long it would take to get there.


	9. Chapter 9

**Holy Shit guys, an update. Yeah haha sorry for the lack of, but life's kind of ((okay majorly)) sucked recently and I haven't had time. Also, my friend and I started our own joint fanfic account on wattpad, so if you're a Larry shipper like me check it out! (We'll be posting the first 1 or 2 chapters of our first story soon) ((our account is KNStylinson)) (((Shameless self promo))) K STORY TIME **

Over a few days time though, he managed to find it. There waiting for him, or, so he assumed, was a man dressed in a black cloak and hood. Sasuke couldn't see what the man looked like, only that he stood a few feet away. He cautiously stepped forward.

"Hello, Sasuke." An eerily nice male voice said. "Follow me." Sasuke kept walking towards him, now the stranger walked away. Sasuke followed, only his curious mind keeping him going. He wanted to know what those messages in his dreams were.

"What were those-" The man signaled for him to be silenced. Sasuke swallowed. He didn't know how strong this man was and risking it was not going to be a smart idea, he'd have to return to Konoha soon and coming back injured would raise more questions than he assumed had already been floating around. They walked far, further than Sasuke had ever gone on any mission.

"They were our way to contact you, child. Simply put, he knows what it is that you desire and wants to help you achieve it. Now, in order to get it and have your closure you must follow the order's of my master." Sasuke was lost but continued walking. They walked into the night and didn't stop from until the dawn came in.

* * *

><p>Sakura refused to cry. He'd always praised her as being strong, maybe this was another test of her strength. She would be fine anyway. He'd be home in a few hours. <em>Do not show weakness<em> she silently repeated to herself as Ino walked by. She stopped in front of her pink-haired rival sitting very still and as straight as possible on a park bench, staring straight ahead. It was quite a site to behold.

"Um. Sakura? Is everything okay?" She asked, leaning close to her face. "Are ya in there?"

"I'm fine Ino, just fine." She said. "I'm just, uh, thinking." She lied. "Got to run now though, my parents are expecting me." She said, pushing past the blue-eyed girl. She walked home, slowly and taking deep breaths, as if it were going to help in case of an attack. She tried to distract herself from the fact that he was _gone, _that he'd just left her, after all these years. She watched some TV, a crime show. She tried texting TenTen, the two were closer than most people thought. TenTen knew about Sakura's illness, she tried to help her when possible._  
><em>

4 months passed and Sakura's paranoia only worsened. Her team hadn't been on a mission since Sasuke's departure, and Naruto had gone to train with Jiraya not long after his disappearance. She walked to Tsunade's office, eyes filled with tears.

"Sakura, what's the matter?" Tsunade asked as the young woman entered quietly.

"M-may I speak with you?" She walked forward, away from the door.

"Of course you may, have a seat." She said, gesturing to the chair across her desk. "You may leave now." She said to an anbu who'd been speaking with her before Sakura came. He seemingly melted into the ground before the two were left alone.

"Okay Sakura, talk to me. Why the waterworks?"

"I want to know..is there any type of surgery that's possible? For my blood. I haven't had an attack since before Sasuke left and..I'm scared I'm going to have a bad one." Tsunade sighed.

"Sakura, surgery could harm your training, push you back by who knows how much. And we don't even know how effective it would be." Sakura wiped across her eyes violently.

"Well what would the procedure be?"

"I'm not sure, this is something your family and I would need to discuss with your doctors. I can schedule a meeting but until then I want you to focus on our training, understood?" Sakura simply nodded, and asked for the meeting to be as soon as possible. Tsunade agreed, before the two women began their medical training.

She walked home sore and proud, the thought of her potential surgery almost gone from her mind.

She called TenTen right away.

"Hey pinky-how's it going?" TenTen answered.

"I'm not sure, I have a meeting tomorrow for a possible surgery. I need moral support."

"Holy shit man, who's idea was this?" TenTen sat in a stool at the weaponry shop, undoing one of her two signature buns.

"Mine, Ten it's really scary. I don't want to have an attack." She complained. "But I also want to know what's up with you! How's things with Neji, hm?" She heard her friend giggle over the phone.

"You giggled! Tell me everything!" Sakura chirped into the phone, demanding answers.

"Well we just got back from a mission the other day, it was a simple C rank escort. He and I were guarding behind our client and Gai sensei and Lee were guarding the front."

"Did you two start to make out and let your client get killed?" Sakura teasingly asked, putting a teapot on the stove.

"No! I haven't kissed him yet. But I want to, duh. What happened was we were ambushed by these ninja and they got my ninja scrolls away from me, and we all know I'm amazing at ninjutsu-not-so I was basically freaking out but then Neji went all knight-in-shining-armor and protected me!And then he asked if I was okay and gave me back my scrolls and-"

"TenTen aren't you really skilled in taijutsu?"

"Shut up just because I'm not girly does not mean I can't have my knight in shining armor moments. As I was saying, he saved me and gave me my scrolls! How sweet is that?" Sakura could hear the giddy in her voice. "Plus, he knows I'm good at taijutsu, and I could-ow-could've taken care of myself. But he chose to take care of it and he is the most amazing guy in the world I want inside his pants."

"Well that sentence ended, differently. Do you guys have a date yet?"

"Sigh, no. I'm still waiting for us to be alone for longer than like, an hour to see if he'll ask me out. Because I am not going to face the awkwardness of rejection. Besides, he's my best guy friend and I can't ruin our friendship."

"And sucking his dick wouldn't ruin it? Oh my god you have totally corrupted me, shame on you."

"No it wouldn't, because then he would see my amazing blowing skills and at the very least be fuck buddies. I mean, come on. Who wouldn't want to hit that? And yes I did, I'm so proud of myself."

"I wouldn't want to hit that, besides it's not like I would. He's yours anyway. And blowing skills? Just how many dicks have you made out with?" TenTen gave a small giggle.

"Well, none. But it can't be that hard, right?"

"No I'm pretty sure you want it to be hard otherwise he'll be like what the hell are you doing." The girls shared a laugh at their jokes, before TenTen spoke again.

"We're bad. Anyway, my Dad's yelling at me to go do inventory. How fun. I'll text you after work short thang."

"Haha, okay babe!" She said, hanging up the phone. She loved TenTen, she could always make her smile.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day Sakura awoke to a phone call from Ino.

"Hey Ino, what's up?" She sleepily asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Sakura! I've been calling you for like, a week. Where have you been?" Ino perkily demanded. "Like, I know our friendship is like on and off since like, always, but it has got to be on right now!" Ino said.

"Ino Yamanaka why are you talking like a stereotypical American girl?" Sakura demanded of her friend, becoming more awake.

"I have to tell you about my date with you-know-who! It was a disaster." Sakura began rambling off questions, how was it a disaster, what did he do, what did he not do, what happened?

"Well he was 25 minutes late picking me up and turns out we weren't going for dinner and dancing we were just quote, _hanging out_ and we were walking literally over every inch of Konoha. I'm going to have blisters for weeks. But my over-dressed situation is just the beginning. So, we're walking past the book store at 1:45 in the morning and there are these teenagers who clearly aren't ninja. Y'know the ones we always see in the back alley a block past the dumpling shop? Yeah, they were like that. They looked really mean and spiteful and spat at us. And Kiba got angry and started yelling at them and then they were yelling back and basically he got in a fight with 4 of them and of course since he can't hurt them, I mean, he could but it's, to quote again, _not morally okay_, he got his ass beat."

"Oh my god! What happened after that?"

"Well after they stopped beating on him three guys came to try and get into my pants and I was like hell no and they were being pushy and seriously annoying and since I have no morals about this whatsoever I kicked their asses."

"Wait, so it ended good, right?"

"Not exactly..after I made them run home to their mommies I checked up on Kiba and he was not happy about the situation, he just said bye coldly and began walking home. This was at like, 2 AM. He hasn't called or texted me or anything!"

"Hm, well, let me think about that one. Sounds like quite the night though, I imagine. I've got to shower now though, I'll call you later today! And if you see TenTen by any chance tell her to stop by my house, yeah?"

"Thanks! I'm really lost on why he's so upset. And will do-forehead, haha. Ta!" They clicked off the phone and Sakura stepped into the bathroom, stripping herself of her pajamas. Turning on the water, she leapt back and how icy it was and turned on the faucet.

Her toothbrush was in her mouth when her phone began to buzz. She looked at the incoming call, it was Tsunade.

Being the slightly clueless girl she was, she answered with a inaudible hello.

"Sakura? What's that noise? Sakura!" Tsunade yelled. Sakura held the phone away from her head and spat out the toothpaste and turned off the sink, bringing the phone back to her ear.

"Sorry m'lady, I was just finishing brushing my teeth."

"Oh well, oral hygiene is good. Now then, I've made an appointment to speak with your doctors at 11:30. Your parents should come too, if their daughter ends up getting surgery then they should have some involvement."

"Yes, I agree! Okay thank you, we'll be there." Sakura paused a moment. "OH! Also, do you know a lot about boys?"

"Oh Sakura, who is it?" She could hear the amusement in her teacher's voice.

"Not for me, for Ino. She went on a date last night."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, with, oh well, she's sworn me to secrecy. Anyway, he's a ninja. And they ran into some like, thugs. And he was like, I'm not going to hurt these people it's wrong, and then he got beat up, and then Ino who wasn't like that, she beat them up and he just up and left and hasn't called her back. What's up with that?"

"Oh, that's simple. Ino's date clearly is upset that he lost and his date had to protect him, or save him. Whichever term you prefer. it's an ego thing." Sakura laughed.

"So it's just because he felt-"

"Inadequate? Yes. Happens when a man can't please a-"

"Okay Tsunade-sama, I've got to go! See you at 11:30!" She quickly hung up the phone and jumped in the shower, washing off. When she got out she heard her parents voices, although she couldn't understand what they were saying. Wrapping an old towel around her, she quickly left the bathroom to see what was going on.

"Mom? Dad?" She asked, knocking on their bedroom door.

"Sakura, you may enter." Her father spoke. She walked in, earning a giggle from her mother and a deep sigh from her father.

"Sakura, it's inappropriate for a girl your age to be walking around the house like that, not to mention highly-"

"Oh Kizashi give it a rest, would you? She has to be formal and respectful most of the time in her life, and you and I aren't even active shinobi anymore. Let the girl have some time to relax from the rules." Her mother defended, causing Sakura to laugh.

"Thanks mom. But, I actually came in here to tell you, we have a meeting at the hospital at 11:30. I'm fine, I haven't had any signs of an attack."

"Then why the meeting?" Her father sternly asked. "If everything is fine."

"Well, I asked Lady Tsunade about surgery, so, that's why." Her parents looked at her, clearly skeptical about the idea of her undergoing surgery.

"Please? With Sasuke-kun gone I'm at an even greater risk!" She begged. "And they have new found information because of me, so please?"

Her parents sighed.

"We will discuss it with your doctors, I'm not promising anything." Her mother said. Sakura squealed with joy, before leaving to get dressed.

The family of 3 arrived at the hospital at the same time as Tsunade and Shizune.

"Hello Lady Tsunade, Shizune." Sakura's mother said.

* * *

><p>"Sasuke-kun, you've been locked in your room all weekend." Karin said. He ignored her and just stared at the ceiling.<p>

"Come on Sasuke, tobi is going to be here any minute! We need you out here." Suigetsu said, before there was a loud bang on his door. Followed by a few more.

"Go away. I could give less of a shit about what he wants." Sasuke said, standing. He walked around the large room and picked his old phone up off the ground.

_**New Message**_

**_To: Sakura (Favorited): I'm sorry..I need you. I need to talk to you. Please be safe._** He couldn't send it. Instead, he stared at his phone.

The panic set in quickly. He began breathing heavier, his breaths short. His mind raced, he'd let her die. She'd be 15 about now, and she was good as dead. The doctors said until she was 14 didn't they? Or was it 16? He couldn't remember. The tears he'd been fighting back all day flowed freely down his face as he tried his hardest not to make a sound. No, he couldn't let those 3 know about this. He wiped his eye and continued to stare at the phone.

"Sasuke." He closed his eyes. There was no way he'd phased through his wall. "I need a favor." Sasuke didn't look at the masked man, instead shakily hit the send button.

"I need you to weaken the nine tails so I can capture him." Tobi continued. "You should leave soon." He didn't say anything. Instead, he sat on the bed and put his phone beside him.

It buzzed a few moments later.

_**New Message**_

_**From: Sakura (Favorited): SASUKE. What the hell? Where are you.. **_She was alive. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Who was that?" Tobi said, peeking at the phone. Sasuke snatched it out of his sight. "You still have ties to the leaf?"

"No." He said coldly. "Leave." Tobi got up and walked out without another word, which sent shivers down Sasuke's spine.

_**New Message**_

_**To: Sakura (Favorited): I'm so fucking sorry..can I please see you? ASAP…I need you. Please.**_

_**New Message**_

_**From: Sakura (Favorited): I've got a mission..we're going to the mist. U anywhere near there?**_

_**New Message**_

_**To: Sakura (Favorited): I'm about a day away.**_

_**New Message**_

_**From: Sakura (Favorited): Ok. I'll see you in a few days.**_

_**New Message**_

_**To: Sakura (Favorited): Stay safe.**_

He let out a sigh of relief and fell onto his back. Within seconds taka had come barging into his bedroom, 2 of the 3 talking a mile a minute.

"Who's Sakura?" Karin snapped after the voices had begun to calm down. "And why are you telling her to stay safe?" Sasuke shot up. Karin had his phone in her hand, she spoke cheerfully and curiously.

"Give me that, now." He said, trying to stay calm.

"Answer my question Sasuke-kun." He sighed, he couldn't deal with Karin. Not right now.

"She's someone I care about, now hand it over." Suigetsu's eyebrows lifted, intrigued.

"Well, Sasuke, let's hear more about this Sakura, yeah?" He said, plopping down next to him. Sasuke glared, not speaking.

"She's from the leaf?" Karin asked. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Where else would she be from?" Suigetsu snapped back.

"Oh shut the fuck up!" Karin countered, before the two fell into a heated argument. Sasuke rubbed his eyes.

"Just shut up already, will you?" He shouted at the two. Jugo hadn't spoken a word.

"Is this you and her?" He asked curiously, holding up a photograph. "When you were kids?" Sasuke looked across the room, he held a picture her mother had taken of the two of them one night when she was having a bad attack. He was sitting on the couch, head hanging to the side because he'd fallen asleep. Sakura sat in his lap, her head on his shoulder fast asleep. As usual, his arms were wrapped around her mid-section and there was a soft white blanket over their legs. He calmed down at the sight of the photo, momentarily taken back to simpler times.

"Yeah, it is." He said.

"Who is she?" Karin asked again perkily. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"It's a long story."

"We've got time! And we're not leaving until you tell us." Sasuke sighed deeply. He could fight them on the topic, or he could spill the beans.

And he was way to tired to get into a verbal fight with Suigetsu and Karin.

"Fine." He said, sitting back against the headboard. "What do you want to know?"

"Who is she?" Karin asked, crossing her arms and leaning to her right.

"She's Sakura, and she's someone I care about very much." He said.

"Were you two a thing?" Suigetsu asked. Sasuke's eyes went huge, appalled and slightly embarrassed at the question.

"No, we weren't a _thing_. We were kids."

"How old were you in this picture?" Jugo asked. Sasuke held out his hand for it, and looked. They were really young in the photo.

"I think this is from when I was…" He said, thinking. "About 6, so she was 5. We were at her house, we'd been up all night."

"What are some kids that young doing up all night?" Suigetsu asked, his tone unimpressed. Sasuke looked him dead in the eye.

"Keeping her alive."


	11. Chapter 11

"Anything else?" Sasuke asked. After a moment of silence, he continued. "No? Good."

* * *

><p>Sakura sighed heavily, dropping her phone into her pouch. Sasuke. She'd finally get to see him, and it could very well be for the last time. Turning back to where Yamato, Sai and Naruto sat around the fire she forced a smile on her face.<p>

"Hi boys, captin Yamato how much further from the mist are we?" Yamato thought for a moment.

"Well, about 8 days if nothing stops us." He said. "Of course, thats assuming we leave early and stop late." She nodded before finishing off her dinner and went into her tent with few words. She lay back, holding her side tightly as if it would keep her safe. She thought a lot about Sasuke.

_"Sakura! Sakura come outside!" She heard the familiar voice of her best friend. Running down the stairs from her bedroom and bursting out the door, she saw Sasuke standing in her front yard, beaming with excitement. "Hurry up Sakura!" He shouted. She ran to him, her wrist quickly being taken hostage as he ran her all the way back to the Uchiha District. _

_"Sasuke-kun! Slow down!" She protested, her heart pounding and lungs aching. He stopped a minute later in front of a pond. Or was it a lake? She wasn't sure._

_"No! I've got to show you!" He happily replied, before slowly weaving hand seals. "Fire style: Fireball __jutsu!" He called, spitting out a ball of flames from his lips. Sakura shrieked with excitement, jumping on his back as the jutsu ended. The two fell in the water._

_"Sasuke-kun! You did it!" She exclaimed as they floated in the water. She could see how proud of himself he was. "Have you shown Itachi? He's gonna be thrilled!" Sasuke pouted a minute. _

_"Itachi isn't home yet, mother and father think he should be home this week though."_

_"Have you shown your parents?" She asked, swimming over to him. A small smile formed on his lips._

_"Father taught me." She knew from the way he said it he wasn't as happy as he wished he was. She hugged him for a moment, only releasing when they both started to sink._

_"Well, if you ask me I think that is the coolest thing in the entire world. 8 year olds aren't supposed to have jutsu like that, mister show off!" She giggled, splashing him with water. He put his hands up in defense._

_"Hey! You'll put the fire out!" He joked. She looked him dead in the eye, eyes wide and grinning._

_"That's the idea, stupid!" She said, splashing again. He splashed back and within seconds they were in a full on water fight, pushing each other under and splashing each others faces._

She sighed at the memory. He was so happy back then. She wanted nothing more than to make him happy like he once was, make him the Sasuke she knew was still inside of him. The Sasuke only she knew now. She fell asleep with tears in her eyes. When she woke up it was still dark out, so she took out her phone to check the time.

3:15 AM it blinked at her. She decided to see how close he was.

**_New Message_**

**_To: Sasuke-kun (Favorited): Hey, I know you're probably asleep right now but is there any chance we could meet sooner? Im a little over a week away._**

She set the phone down and was just closing her eyes as it lit up.

**_New Message_**

**_From: Sasuke-kun (Favorited): Yeah no problem, should we meet now or wait until tomorrow? What time will Naruto and Kakashi wake up?_**

**_New Message_**

**_To: Sasuke-kun (Favorited): Um, Captain Yamato said we'd leave at 7. I'm 8 days away, around the same area Zabuza first attacked.  
><em>**

**_New Message_**

**_From: Sasuke-kun (Favorited): If you head northwest we should be able to catch each other in a little under an hour. _**

**_New Message:_**

**_To: Sasuke-kun (Favorited): Okay. I'm leaving now._**

She stood and sighed, wrapping her coat tightly around her as she left the tent, praying not to be caught. A few feet off the campsite and Sai dropped down in front of her.

"Where are you going, Sakura?"

"Oh! Sai! Um, just a late night stroll, that's all." She said, smiling nervously.

"That smile seems to not be genuine. Or at least, I don't think it is. You do not seem to be in a particular mood where smiling would be appropriate."

"Um, no don't worry about my smile Sai. You should get some rest though."

"It is unsafe for you to be walking alone. I shall accompany you." He said. She took a deep breath, before forcing her most sincere smile.

"No, really Sai it's okay, I'll be fine." She started walking away, but he followed. She looked at him. "What will Captain Yamato say if you're gone?" She asked.

"What will Naruto say if you are gone?" She didn't speak a moment, her pace hurried.

"I will be back." She simply said.

"Then as will I." She groaned as they kept moving. 37 minutes later she noticed a group of four people.

"Sai, I need you to do something for me, please." She asked looking him in the eye, pleading.

"What is it?"

"I need you to wait right here. I'm not going much further, but please. Promise me you'll wait." Even he could tell from the look in her eyes that she was begging him.

"If I notice you're in danger I'm stepping in." He said. She agreed before walking forward. A few feet. A few more feet.

She recognized the familiar spiky hairdo, the causal slouched posture, the way he shoved both hands in his pockets.

She was so close. Halfway between Sai and Sasuke, just a few more feet and she'd be with him again.

She couldn't do it. Yes she'd been thinking constantly about the happy memories they'd shared over the years, but as she was so close to him the realization set in. He abandoned her to die. He'd left her for three years, without a goodbye.

He broke his promise to her.

She turned back, tears in her eyes and walked to Sai.

"Let's go back. Before they wake up." And they did.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know this chapter is short and lame but I haven't updated and I've just started to pick this fic back up, so cut me some slack.  
><strong>

**And anyway, I'm stuck between a happy ending or a sad ending (which isn't soon, I'm just planning ahead), so updating might be slow because I've got to decide. Feel free to tell me which you'd prefer in the review section if you'd like :) **


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